A Most Ingenious Paradox
Back To The Future, while escapist entertainment, handled the logic problems of time travel more deftly and enjoyably than one usually sees in sf fare.
Watching Back To The Future 2, however, I was reminded of a problem which has always bugged me. The plot is impressively complex, since it interacts with the plot of the first film. But the one thing I question (as silly as it may be to question anything) is the central plot point. Old Biff from the future returns to 1955 and gives young Biff a magazine that tells him all the major sports scores for the rest of the century. With this knowledge, he's able to build an empire through money he raises betting on sports.
This might work for a while, but the more he does it, the less likely it'll work. I don't know if a butterfly killed 100 million years ago would change the course of history, but Biff is a major public figure who changes the world around him massively. Sooner or later, he'd almost have to change things enough so that the results of sporting events are different.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:38 AM
4 Comments:
Which gets you back to the "time is immutable" principle. Obviously, the sports scores were the way they were because, Biff had the magazine. I.e. the future is dependent upon the people in the past having foreknowledge of it. This of course gets harder and harder to fathom as the film continues.
I though Bill & Ted handled the time conundrum much more clearly- Dude we'll remember to come back in time and fix this
Bill # Ted does it better than most.
Back To The Future dealt with the immuntable question head on in the first movie. If you go back and do stuff, you will change things, considerably, perhaps even ending your own existence. That's what keeps the plot moving. In such a world, Biff betting and becoming powerful and famous would change a lot of things (as the plot demonstrates definitively).
I think this works in a movie. I'm less thrilled when it's used in a TV show to solve a problem, since then as a strategy it could be used over and over by either side.
Except for the fact that rich & powerful Biff keeps the magazine in a safe, I don't remember any evidence that he was continuing to use the book by 1985. Maybe he made most of his money in the next few years until 1960, then noticed the book wasn't accurate anymore, but had enough money to win bets the old fashioned way - by paying off the players and refs.
The tougher question for me was always, why aren't the changes instantaneous in the future - ie. why doesn't Marty vanish the second he knocks his teenage dad out of the way of the car.
You can only make so much money betting on sports, especially in the 50s. Biff has made enormous amounts and, in fact, has become a celebrity because of his amazing lucky streak. Once he becomes known for sports betting, that alone starts affecting things. Also, the fact he keeps the magazine in a safe strongly suggests it's still valuable. If he's stopped using it, I'd recommend he destroy it.
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